Every figure includes its question wording and base size, with study methodology and fieldwork details included in the report.
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Why contractor brand data matters
In residential HVAC, the homeowner rarely picks the brand.
The contractor does. They lead the conversation, the customer asks them what to buy, and almost nobody refuses the recommendation. That is the whole reason a brand's standing among contractors is worth measuring — and why this study has measured it every year since 2019.
Where the brand decision actually gets made
2024 wave · n=409 residential HVAC contractors
97%
of customers will let the contractor make the case for a specific brand — sometimes or always.
43%
of customers always hand the brand decision to the contractor outright.
All four measures are contractor-reported, from the 2024 wave (n=409, fielded March 5–25, 2024). Customer behaviour is as observed and reported by the contractor, not surveyed directly. Figures shown are from a prior wave; the current edition updates every measure on this page. Source: myCLEARopinion Insights Hub, Residential HVAC Brand Awareness CLEAReport.
So which brands are contractors actually recommending?
That answer is the report. Unaided and aided awareness, primary/secondary/tertiary status, satisfaction, loyalty and recommendation — brand by brand, with a scorecard that ranks them side by side.
What moves a contractor onto a brand
Before you look at which brands win, it is worth knowing what they are being judged on. These are the decision criteria, measured across the whole contractor base rather than brand by brand.
61%/ 60%
Quality and reliability are the two product factors most likely to influence brand selection — consistently, wave after wave.
47%
name competitive pricing the leading non-product factor, ahead of warranty coverage (41%) and the warranty claim process (40%).
3
brands or fewer is what the typical contractor carries. Shelf space is the constraint — and it has not moved in years.
12%→ 19%
of equipment sourced online today versus five years out, as contractors expect it. Half still comes through wholesalers.
2024 wave, n=409. Figures are from a prior wave and are updated in the current edition.
The brand-level data stays in the report
Everything above is the context. The 65 pages below it are the answer — every brand measured on the same scale, with significance testing between them.
Pages 25–31
Awareness, aided and unaided
First mention, total recall and aided awareness for every brand tested — plus which brands contractors actually stock, broken out by region.
Pages 32–37
Primary, secondary, tertiary
Which brands hold the primary slot, why they hold it, and the annual spend that goes to a primary versus a secondary brand.
Pages 38–51
Satisfaction, attribute by attribute
Product and non-product satisfaction scored for primary and secondary brands, then cut again by each top brand individually.
Pages 52–61
Loyalty and switching
Who gets recommended and why, how loyal contractors are to their primary brand, and what would actually move them off it.
Page 10
The Top Brands Scorecard
One page. Every major brand down the top, nine metrics down the side, significance testing between every pair. If you buy the report for one page, it is this one.
Pages 11–24
Industry context
Business outlook, sourcing channels today and in five years, where contractors get their information, and the smart-controls trajectory.
65 pages · tracked every year since 2019
Know where your brand really stands.
Not where your dealers say it stands. Every brand on the same scale, with six prior waves behind it to show which way the line is moving.
Instant digital download
Every brand in the study
Thirty-seven residential heating and cooling brands are tested for aided awareness. Brands clearing the awareness threshold are then carried through the full scorecard — stocking, primary status, satisfaction, recommendation and loyalty — with significance testing between them.
All brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. They appear here only to identify the brands measured in this study. Their inclusion is not an endorsement, and no ranking, score or standing is implied by their listing or order.
Seven waves of the same questions
This study has been fielded every year since 2019. Because the questions and the scales have held, a brand's movement is readable rather than guessable — and statistically significant changes between waves are marked on the charts.
201920202021202220232024Current edition
Prior-year editions are available on request through our contact form.
What's in the report
65 pages · section contents
Purpose & Objectives
4
Sampling & Methodology
5
Key Findings
6–10
Residential HVAC Industry Overview
11–24
Brand Awareness & Familiarity
25–31
Brand Status: Primary, Secondary & Tertiary
32–37
Brand Satisfaction
38–51
Brand Loyalty
52–61
Appendix: Demographics
62–64
Contact Us
65
Who was surveyed
Contractors in the residential HVAC industry who are involved in their company's purchasing decisions for heating and cooling equipment. Sample is drawn from subscribers to The NEWS, Plumbing & Mechanical, PM Engineer, Engineered Systems and SNIPS, plus the myCLEARopinion panel and a trusted panel partner. Surveys are online, and each wave has landed in the 400-complete range.
Closed-ended data is tabulated in SPSS. Base sizes appear on every chart as “n=xx”; bases of 30 or more are treated as statistically reliable and bases under 15 are read directionally only. Significance is tested at a 95% confidence level, both between brands and between waves.
Frequently asked questions
Who chooses the HVAC brand — the homeowner or the contractor?
Overwhelmingly the contractor. In the 2024 wave, 61% of contractors said they lead with a brand recommendation rather than wait for the customer to ask, 56% reported that customers ask them what to buy, and 97% said customers will let them make the case for a specific brand at least sometimes. 43% said customers always leave the decision to them entirely.
What factors influence which HVAC brand a contractor uses?
Product quality (61%) and reliability (60%) lead the product-related factors and have done so wave after wave. On the non-product side, competitive pricing leads at 47%, followed by warranty coverage at 41% and the warranty claim process at 40% — a reminder that how a warranty claim is handled matters nearly as much as the warranty itself.
How many HVAC brands does a typical contractor carry?
Three or fewer, and that number has been stable for years. It is the single hardest fact in the category for a brand to work around: winning a contractor usually means displacing someone already on the truck, which is why the report measures primary, secondary and tertiary status separately.
Which residential HVAC brands rank highest with contractors?
That is what the report is for, and it is not published here. Every major brand is measured on unaided and aided awareness, whether it is stocked, whether it holds primary status, satisfaction across product and non-product attributes, likelihood to be recommended and likelihood to be switched away from — all on one scorecard, with significance testing between brands.
Are HVAC contractors buying equipment online?
Increasingly, but from a low base. Around 12% of equipment was sourced online at the time of the 2024 wave, with contractors expecting roughly 19% within five years. Half still comes through HVACR wholesalers and distributors. The report tracks the full channel mix today and as contractors expect it to look.
How far back does the trend data go?
The study has been fielded annually since 2019, with the questions and scales held constant so movement is readable. Statistically significant changes from the prior wave are flagged on the charts at a 95% confidence level. Earlier editions are available on request.
Who should buy this report?
HVAC manufacturers tracking their own standing against named competitors; product and brand managers deciding where to spend; dealers and distributors setting inventory against real contractor preference; and strategists who need a defensible read on where the category is heading.